Thursday, July 21 (8), 2022

1Cor.3:18-23; Mt. 13:36-43

“And shall cast them (those who do offences and iniquities) into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” [Mt. 13:42-43].  Such will be the separation between good and evil, between light and darkness. 

Thus far they are still mixed.  The Lord has ordained that our freedom would increase and strengthen in the struggle against evil; evil is allowed in this world both in connection with personal freedom inside a human soul and in contact with man outside.  By itself, evil does not do anything; its only direct influence on us is temptation.

When we are tempted, we should not give in, but rather fight.  By winning a victory in the fight against a temptation we get free from it; next, we move up and  ahead, only to encounter the next temptation and fight again… And so it goes until the end of our earthly life.

Oh, if only we could grasp this meaning of evil which is tempting us, so that we might set up our life accordingly!  The fighters receive their prizes when they enter the future life where there is neither sorrow, nor external pain, where they become like angels of God internally, pure and free from any temptations. This is the seed of the future triumph of light and goodness which will open in glory on the last day of this world.